Top pharmacist reveals the 5 nasty additives in your supplements to look out for

Your supplements aren’t just pure, distilled versions of whatever nutrient you’re trying to get.

The nutrients are combined with fillers, thickeners, stabilizers and other additives to make them shelf-stable, robust or more colorful, an expert warns.

According to pharmacist Dr Pupinder S Ghatora, some of these additives are linked to health risks – and have even been banned in other countries.

Dr. Ghatora, who has worked in the vitamin industry for nearly two decades, told the Daily Mail that at best, some of these additives will reduce the effectiveness of your supplement.

At worst, they can increase your risk of cancer.

Read below to discover the five additives to look out for on your nutrition label.

Magnesium stearate

This additive is put into vitamin powders to help them flow more easily into other containers and prevent them from sticking to equipment or bottles. It is also found in cosmetics.

But magnesium stearate can cause your supplements to flow through you so quickly that you don’t even experience the benefits, Dr. Ghatora said.

‘It provides no health benefits and simply allows the supplement to pass through you without being absorbed. Brands often use it to extend supplements so they can reduce the amount of the more expensive active ingredient,” said Dr. Ghatora.

Other research, e.g one study from 2017 from Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories in Japan found that taking too much of this additive could have a laxative effect.

That’s less than 2,500 milligrams per kilogram per day, about 170,000 mg for a 150-pound adult. according to PubChema public information database of the NIH that publishes information about chemicals.

Carrageenan

“At first glance, you might think that carrageenan, or sea moss, is beneficial to health because it comes from seaweed,” said Dr. Ghatora.

However, he said: ‘Research shows it can have adverse effects on digestion, causing inflammation, ulcers and raising blood sugar levels, while aggravating glucose intolerance.’

Skepticism about this additive has existed since the 1960s.

A 2021 study from TK at the University of Milan found that carageenan has been linked to chronic inflammation in multiple studies in rodents. They cautioned that this effect has not been tested in humans, but tests on human cells in a petri dish have elicited a similar response.

Inflammation is your body’s natural response to foreign invaders. But long-term inflammation is linked to faster aging and cancer.

Carrageenan can be found in a wide range of vegan product supplements. But it is also taken on its own in the form of sea moss gels, a favorite of celebrities like model Bella Hadid.

Titanium dioxide

Titanium dioxide, often listed as E171 on food labels, was banned by law European Commission in 2021.

The EC based their decision on a review published by the European Food Safety Authority in May of that year, saying that titanium dioxide can build up in higher amounts in the body over time and increase the chance of developing cancer.

“Disturbingly, research has suggested that the ingredient may have a carcinogenic effect,” Dr Ghatora said.

But countries such as the US and Great Britain did not follow the European Commission’s example by banning E171. It is still used in small amounts to whiten pills in both countries Consumer laboratory.

Because it is used to whiten pills, it is often found in supplements such as multivitamins. For example, it is found in Centrum multivitamins for adults.

Talk

Talc is used in supplements to whiten and prevent products from sticking to themselves. In itself no connection has been made with health problems. according to the FDA.

But it is especially good at absorbing other chemicals it comes into contact with, meaning it can pick up chemicals and pollutants during the manufacturing process, Dr. Ghatora said.

“Talk has attracted attention recently due to concerns about contamination of industrial-grade talc, including impurities and even asbestos,” he said.

Exposure to asbestos irritates the lungs, leading to scarring and in some cases lung cancer. according to Mayo Clinic.

Talc was also widespread in beauty products and was linked to an increase in ovarian cancer cases in the 1960s, which the FDA attributes to asbestos contamination.

The FDA still screens and clears talc products for asbestos annual reports about cosmetics containing it.

Talc, like titanium dioxide, is often used in white pills to keep the color bright. Many multivitamins, such as One A Day ladies completelist the ingredient as part of their product.

Sweeteners and sugars

There are a wide variety of chemicals that can be added to sweeten a supplement, but Dr. Ghatora said most are synthetic, highly processed molecules.

These include sorbitol, mannitol, maltitol and sucralose. Previous research, such as a 2023 study from SUNY Upstate Medical Center, has linked these alcohol-based sugars to an increase in liver cancer.

“We should avoid using sugar alcohols, such as erythritol and sorbitol, as sweeteners,” said study author Dr. Andras Perl. When he gave these synthetic sugars to cancer cells, it caused them to multiply rapidly, he said.

Dr. Ghatora also highlighted aspartame, the synthetic sweetener popularly linked to chewing gum and diet sodas.

‘There are new emerging studies showing this [aspartame] can have a negative effect on the oxidant/antioxidant balance in our body, which has a knock-on effect on many of the body’s functions,” he said.

Sweeteners can be added to any supplement, but are especially common in gummy formulas and those that you are encouraged to eat and not swallow. Nature Made’s Zero Sugar Multi GummiesFor example, list maltitol on their product label.